2024-12-02-莱坊-Life_Sciences_Innovation_Insight_Q3_2024_9页_745kb

Q3 2024 UK Life Sciences Sector Analysis

• Sector Performance: Limited foreign direct investment (FDI) was observed in Q3 2024, with Eli Lilly committing significant investment due to government support. Venture capital (VC) funding reached £872.2m, marking a 34% quarter-on-quarter increase and the second-best year-to-date performance on record, highlighting strong investor interest.

• Company Activity and Vacancies: The number of active UK life sciences companies reached 8,092, showing modest growth but a slower pace this year compared to the previous year. Scientific job vacancies declined by 17% year-to-date, with London leading in advertised roles. Challenges remain in workforce availability, particularly for scientific positions.

• Scale-Up Growth: UK life sciences scale-ups increased to 5,530, concentrated in London, the South East, and the East of England. Top sub-sectors include clinical diagnostics, research tools, and pharmaceuticals, with companies like Exscientia leveraging AI for drug discovery. Eli Lilly's renewed search for a London base underscores urban clustering trends.

• Real Estate Activity: Q3 saw 410,000 sq ft of lab and office space taken up, with deals like Oxford Nanopore's lease. Development pipelines focus on new facilities in Oxford and Cambridge, but space shortages, especially in London, hinder growth. Capital investments, such as M&G's £70m sale of Bracknell property, indicate market strength.

• Government and Funding Updates: The UK budget protected R&D funding and continued innovation programs, but concerns linger over National Insurance hikes and university funding deficits. New funds, including Blackstone's £10bn AI investment, create opportunities, while AI convergence with life sciences drives innovation in drug discovery.

• Key Trends and Challenges: AI-based drug discovery partnerships surged by 575% since 2015, with London emerging as a leader. Collaboration with AI firms like AWS and OpenAI is transforming research, reducing prescription drug growth projections to 7.7% CAGR. However, manufacturing space shortages and NHS funding issues pose risks to sustained growth.

总体而言，Q3 2024 demonstrated resilience in the UK life sciences sector, with strong investment inflows and real estate activity, but challenges in funding and space availability highlight areas needing ongoing government support.